


a very busy fellow

by trash_rendar



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Character Biography, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, most characters mentioned obliquely, references to fan theories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:03:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23887906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trash_rendar/pseuds/trash_rendar
Summary: "...But, my, you sure have managed to make quite a number of people happy."Written for the 20th anniversary of the release of Majora's Mask.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	a very busy fellow

He was not a young man, when that contemptible mask was first sculpted.

But he will never be older.

* * *

In that time, Termina was wild and untamed. So was the magic that spilt forth with every jinx and hex the red-haired tribe invoked.

So many of his tribe were shamans, then – but not he. He was a mere observer on the periphery, shuffling his life away; he was content to do so. He still is.

That ancient time had departed long ago. Most of its trappings had vanished with it. The peddler, somehow, remains.

Still, the Giants tower over them all, if only in spirit. That was where it all started, he supposes – with the deified Giants, and the profane Tower, and the sundering of the people.

He spares a thought for Ikana, and for his tribe, who raised stone to scrape the sky and snub the powers of the universe.

Such a terrible fate – but not wholly undeserved.

(He sees the face of Majora, bug-eyed with glee, in his darkest dreams.)

* * *

He sells masks, you see.

He doesn’t make his own, though. He travels across the world in search of exotic masks. Each one has its own history, its own meaning – its own spirit, one might say.

The only thing more enticing than the hiding of one’s face is the act of revelation – the masking and unmasking are two sides of the same coin. This dual experience makes a mask a potent symbol for mortal men. This makes masks an enticing product. This makes the travelling Happy Mask Shop a success.

This brings the people happiness. And this brings him happiness in turn.

* * *

He has not seen his homeland in a very long time.

He had to leave, you see – had to. Had to protect himself – protect everyone.

Wicked men spoke loudly in the town square late at night, Garo hoods clenched in their fingers and Chateau Romani dribbling down their chins. They had heard infernal rumors of an unthinkable treasure in the Tower, a treasure to set men above gods.

They were tenacious, stupid men, prone to selfish mischief - and therefore the most dangerous animal in the world. But with that kind of power…

So he had to do it, you see. He had to get there first. Had to break the seal. Had to keep them from getting the mask.

And then he had to leave. Forever.

(He sees the face of Majora, bug-eyed with hatred, in the suffocating darkness.)

* * *

He finds another kingdom. It is not like Ikana, a kingdom perpetually falling upon itself with bloody fists. Its royal family encloses their land in bands of warm friendship, and golden prosperity reaches all.

He likes it here. The people like his masks. The Happy Mask Shop makes a perfect fit in the market square.

It is a blessed land, Hyrule.

* * *

There comes a terrible war - sudden, unforeseeable, spontaneous. The kingdom falls upon itself with bloody fists.

It seems to him that people need happiness now more than ever. But the masks just don’t sell. This puzzles him.

On sleepless nights, he thinks of the deepest pocket of his great traveling bag, and wonders.

(He sees the face of Majora, bug-eyed with relish, watching over a field drenched in red.)

* * *

The terrible war ends. Life returns to normal.

There is another incident, not long after – something about the princess and a dark man from the desert and a hero from the forest? He honestly doesn’t pay it much mind.

He does meet a boy, though, and a fairy. They help with selling his masks. The boy seems to age more every time he steps out of the shop.

* * *

The Giants of his homeland had one friend: an imp – a childish trickster, but generally one of good humor. When they departed, he fell upon the people in hurt and rage, so great was its turmoil. It devastated them to cast him out, just as it was devastating for he to be exiled. But what else could they do to protect the people?

It is a sad story. It is this story he is thinking of when the stone strikes the base of his skull.

(He sees the face of Majora, bug-eyed with anticipation, as it presses the child’s face to its own.)

* * *

He meets the boy in green again under the clock tower. The boy is different, now. He is different, too.

He asks the boy to retrieve his mask. It seems to him a simple favor, now – and it must be, if the boy is able to accomplish it in only three days.

Time now seems a trivial thing to him. Most other mortal obsessions are beyond him as well. And yet, it seems a marvel that his child could fill so many masks with happiness in a mere three days.

Imagine that.

(He sees the face of Majora, bug-eyes staring blankly, cradled lifelessly in his hands.)

* * *

He is not a young man, when he leaves Termina behind for the final time.

But he will never be older.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy 20th, MM!! Here's a really cloudy biography of the Happy Mask Salesman.
> 
> Kudos and comments are really appreciated!


End file.
